Beowulf eBook

Then
straight was the horror to Beowulf published,
Early
forsooth, that his own native homestead,[1]
15 The best
of buildings, was burning and melting,
Gift-seat
of Geatmen. ’Twas a grief to the spirit
Of
the good-mooded hero, the greatest of sorrows:

{He fears that Heaven is punishing him for some crime.}

The
wise one weened then that wielding his kingdom
’Gainst
the ancient commandments, he had bitterly angered
20 The Lord
everlasting: with lorn meditations
His
bosom welled inward, as was nowise his custom.
The
fire-spewing dragon fully had wasted
The
fastness of warriors, the water-land outward,
The
manor with fire. The folk-ruling hero,
25 Prince
of the Weders, was planning to wreak him.
The
warmen’s defender bade them to make him,
Earlmen’s
atheling, an excellent war-shield

{He orders an iron shield to be made from him, wood
is useless.}

Wholly
of iron: fully he knew then
That
wood from the forest was helpless to aid him,
30 Shield
against fire. The long-worthy ruler
Must
live the last of his limited earth-days,
Of
life in the world and the worm along with him,
Though
he long had been holding hoard-wealth in plenty.

{He determines to fight alone.}

Then
the ring-prince disdained to seek with a war-band,
35 With
army extensive, the air-going ranger;
He
felt no fear of the foeman’s assaults and
He
counted for little the might of the dragon,
[80] His power and prowess: for previously
dared he

{Beowulf’s early triumphs referred to}

A
heap of hostility, hazarded dangers,
40 War-thane,
when Hrothgar’s palace he cleansed,
Conquering
combatant, clutched in the battle
The
kinsmen of Grendel, of kindred detested.[2]

{Higelac’s death recalled.}

’Twas
of hand-fights not least where Higelac was slaughtered,
When
the king of the Geatmen with clashings of battle,
45 Friend-lord
of folks in Frisian dominions,
Offspring
of Hrethrel perished through sword-drink,
With
battle-swords beaten; thence Beowulf came then
On
self-help relying, swam through the waters;
He
bare on his arm, lone-going, thirty
50 Outfits
of armor, when the ocean he mounted.
The
Hetwars by no means had need to be boastful
Of
their fighting afoot, who forward to meet him
Carried
their war-shields: not many returned from
The
brave-mooded battle-knight back to their homesteads.
55 Ecgtheow’s
bairn o’er the bight-courses swam then,
Lone-goer
lorn to his land-folk returning,
Where
Hygd to him tendered treasure and kingdom,